Harbor Seals Habitat

The problem with plastic ending up in the ocean is that marine life is being harmed by the presence of it. A study done on the harbor seals in the Netherlands found that more than 12% had plastic in the digestive system (California Coastal Commission). The list of affected species indicates that marine debris is affecting a significant number of species. It affects at least 267 species worldwide, including 86% of all sea turtle species, 44% of all seabird species, and 43% of all marine mammal species (Save our shores). The problem is underestimated because the marine life that ingests plastic or dies from entanglement often goes undiscovered due to the vastness of the ocean, as they either sink or are eaten by predators before they are discovered (Plastic Debris). The potential harm from ingestion of plastics is not restricted to seabirds. Plastic bags drifting on ocean currents resemble the prey of turtles. There is evidence that their survival is being hindered by plastic debris with young sea turtles being vulnerable (Ocean pollution). Over the past 20 years polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have polluted marine food webs at an increasing rate, and are prevalent in seabirds. Though their adverse effects may not always be apparent, PCBs lead to reproductive disorders, increase the risk of disease and alter hormone levels. These chemicals have a detrimental effect on marine organisms even at very low levels and plastic pellets could be a route for PCBs into marine food

Have you ever wondered how different and alike bottlenose dolphins and harp seals are?Bottlenose dolphins and harp seals have different body shapes,yet they have the same color.A bottlenose dolphin and a harp seal have different lengths and weights.

Due to misinformation, some believe that the monk seal’s primary diet is commercial fish, and competes with local fishers by eating its weight in fish in a single day— this is patently untrue, as no large mammal would be able to consume that much food in a single day. Some believe that the seals were brought in by the federal government and are not actually endemic to Hawaii. While it’s true that the main population of monk seals have existed in the Northwest Hawaiian islands (NWHI), there is archaeological evidence from before the 19th century that the seals coexisted with humans in the MHI (Watson et al). Since they are also a relatively rare species, their cultural prevalence has not been as strong as some species (i.e., sea turtles). The use of historical Hawaiian newspapers, as well as research into Hawaiian etymology, as well as archaeological and anthropological investigations can help add to our knowledge base (Watson et al). NOAA’s Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center, and the Marine Conservation Institute are doing much to dispel these myths by providing informational websites to the

I think that the Canadian government should not ban the seal hunt because it is humane. Most people do not think it is humane because of the way that media portrays the hunt. It is true that before rules were set, the seal hunt was out of control. But now, after all the changes to the hunt, people still think that it is out of hand. Why? People who are against the hunt use outdated pictures and statistics, which trick people into believing that the seal hunt is inhumane. Also, most people care about the hunt because the pictures that people often show are of harp seals, which are known to be very cute. This makes people feel more sympathy than they would to an animal, which is not as cute as the harp seal. Another point on the media is that

The population decline in monk seals is due to several different factors with the biggest reason due to the low pup and juvenile survival rates (Curtice et al, 2011). At the Kure Atoll on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, 32 pups were observed in 1964 and 30 pups were observed in 1965. Of these pups born, all but one died or disappeared within 60 days after birth. This was also seen in the 1970’s at Green Island and Kure Atoll, where a mean population of 17 and 14 seals, respectively, was counted on these beaches, with a birth total of 10 showing a population decline of 70% (Gilmartin et al, 2011). The juvenile survival rate is still seen today with one in five monk seals surviving to the reproductive age, with one year old seals having the highest mortality rates (Norris et al, 2011).

Research shows that elephant seals come to shore mainly to breed and moult and prefer sandy or stone beaches (Carrick and Ingham, 1960). On Macquarie Island, the elephant seal breeds mainly on the northern tip of the island where there is an extensive beach area that is easy for the seals to come ashore (Carrick and Ingham, 1960). However, dotted around the entire island there are also other colonies of substantial numbers on other sandy beaches (DPIWE, 2003).

Atlantic seals are hunted and killed humanely and inhumanely every day in Canada. The issue has caused a plethora of controversy in the international community; depicting if seal hunting should cease or continue. In Glavin 's An Enviro 's Case for Seal Hunt he supports the murder of seals; however, he only supports it for human consumption, but not the sport. Glavin 's tone of writing is very biased and his argument is all sorts of information pulled together that do not relate; all of his supporting arguments are far – fetched and do not correspond. Glavin poorly supports his position due to the fact that, he does not connect his information to his argument and he uses four of the ten common logical fallacies; such as red herring, false analogy, confirmation bias, and ‘it doesn 't follow '.

That’s exactly what the seal hunt in Canada is; Inhumane. The seal hunt in Canada kills thousands of seals annually every year. Pups are killed at about two weeks of age or three months of age. Seals are supposedly killed for their fur, oil, and meat. Seal hunting should be stopped in Canada because of the harm towards the seals.

Sea Otters can be found in Canada, Russia, Japan, California , and Washington. Most of them are found in Alaska. There are two distinct sea otter subspecies: the Northern sea otter and the southern sea otter. The Northern sea otters are found in Southern Alaska , British Columbia, and Washington. The Southern sea otters live on the coastline of California. They love living in places with a lot of kelp and with this kelp they wrap themselves up when they are resting. Kelp is the large seaweeds

Observations made by Coscarella et al. (2015) show the Killer Whale swimming alongside a dolphin and hitting the dolphin in its head in order to knock the dolphin unconscious. Coscarella et al. (2015) also spotted these Killer Whales socializing, lobtailing, slapping, and recorded breaching behaviors. Coordinated hunting behavior was seen as the Killer Whales would herd the dolphin towards an individual whale that would catch the prey, this supports a belief that sharing prey is common because this has been seen before (Coscarella et al., 2015). Social relationships are maintained when the Killer Whales share their prey (Coscarella et al., 2015).

A few types of polar seal have learned to survive on and under the ice all year round

Harp seals strive through tough ecosystems with many predators like polar bears, bull sharks, and orcas

The seal lion population has decreased by eighty-percent. The weird thing is that there is no bodies to prove that the seal lions are gone. Some of the causes of the decrease could be fisherman, pollution, and killer whales. The sea lions could also be starving to death. The fisherman are taking all of their sources of food. But, in Alaska the sea lions are thriving and the whales are not. Thirty years ago ninety percent of the whale population was gone in Alaska. This resulted in an abundance of more krill and plankton, which lead to more pollock and herring. The sea lions ate the herring the most as it was healthier and kept them full. But, when the herring population decreased the sea lions had to eat pollock. Pollock is the “junk food

Did you know about the harp seal’s adaptation? To begin, the harp seals are found in the arctic ocean. They spend a little bit of time on land. Additionally, they have claws. They have four claws on their fins. They use their claws to defend themselves. The last important adaptation is that the harp seals have fur. They have fur to keep them warm. The fur is also helpful for the baby seals. They can use their white fur to camouflage in with the snow. Now you know about the harp seals adaptation.

Seals hunt for their food in the sea. Their whiskers aid them in detecting the route of fish. Because their stomach prints are found at the bottom of the sea, seals are considered bottom feeders. Strategically, they use their tusks to dig immense furrows in search for clams. Seals feast on fish, shrimp, mussels, and clams. In the Antarctic, the elephant seal is noted for fiercely hunting down sharks. Furthermore, seals utilize their tusks for tilling the seafloor while scavenging for clams. The sea is a seals source of